Put It On Repeat
by Rose Riku
Summary: AU. A song, a chance encounter, a car accident, a job opportunity. This is a story about two people who were destined to be together, or maybe it's just coincidence.
1. Track 1

**Hello my lovelies! Rose Riku here again to give you some AkuRoku mush. My last fic got deleted due to a swear in the summary (oops) and then I just canned it. This on the other hand is a lot different than all of my other stuff. So I hope you guys will enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: Me no own Kingdom Hearts, or it's characters' likenesses. Tetsuya Nomura, Disney, and Square Enix do. Lucky bastards.**

**I'm excited about this! :D**

**I should be updating very very soon. I have the second chapter almost done already as it is. But I will be busy the next few weeks. I am staffing at a convention (where I will actually be cosplaying as Roxas! look me up on Tumblr if you wanna see pics or hear about it - there's a link in my profile or just manually put roseriku in the tumblr url), my sister is visiting and I haven't seen her in years, I start college soon, I'm apartment hunting, I work 20 hours a week, blahdeeblahblah. Just a warning. But we should be fine here. XD**

**Thanks for reading! (:**

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**Put It On Repeat**

**Track 1**

"Did you hear that The Dream Eaters are playing at Twilight Tavern tonight?" Olette Small, a bright girl with a bright smile to match, asked her best friends. A brunette curl bounced against Olette's orange tank top as she scooched her chair up to the lunch table. Her words got all of her friend's buzzing.

Pence Kingsley spoke up first. "Yeah, I heard they got booked last minute. I've known since last night!" A grin lit up Pence's round face. The boy was an interesting one. He had black as night hair and wore baggy clothing that clashed with his gentle and goofy personality. He seemed pleased that he knew something before the rest of his friends did.

"And you didn't tell any of us?" Hayner questioned his friend who was sitting to the right of him. His hazel eyes were full of accusation. The group had made an agreement in the dawn of their friendship that whenever they found out The Dream Eaters had a show that they would inform each other, and go together if schedules allowed. This usually wasn't a problem – so Pence's mistake was a rare one.

This agreement did not apply to Roxas Lewis, however.

Roxas was the oddball in his little clan of friends. While they were all crazy about the local band, The Dream Eaters, he was the exact opposite. He refused to even see _one _performance. At first he just disliked them. Said something seemed off about them and he thought they were overrated so he didn't want to jump on the bandwagon.

But then his dislike for The Dream Eaters grew into a passionate hate for them when his boyfriend ended up blowing off their first year anniversary plans to go see a booked-last-minute Dream Eaters show – causing his first ever relationship to dismantle instantly. That night he said good-bye to the idea of losing his virginity to the person he once thought was his soul mate. It was the same night that the fourteen year old decided he was going to hold a grudge against The Dream Eaters for the rest of eternity and forever more. He refused to ever support them in any way. Nothing would ever sway him to see even one show, and his decision was final. His friends claimed they understood but every once in a while they would try to get him to tag along, "just one time!"

This was why Roxas was closing his ears to the conversation his friends were partaking in at the lunch table. If it had to do with The Dream Eaters, he didn't want to hear it. Poking at his rubbery spaghetti was a much more well-spent lunch for him than talking about the overrated band.

"I sent you all Facebook messages!" Pence exclaimed, pointing his plastic fork at Hayner O'Neal whose expression transformed from accusing to annoyed in a second, flat. Pence added, "Well, except to Roxas of course."

"You still could have told as at school this morning!" Always losing his temper over such tiny problems, Hayner snapped at his friend. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary. The teen was predictable. Every day he wore his dirty blonde hair gelled in the same fashion, he was almost always clad in camouflage, and he always seemed to be a bit of a grouch – even when he was happy.

Luckily, his girlfriend, Olette, was there to get him in line.

"It doesn't matter, Hayner. We all know now! I overheard some girls talking about it in my period one class. So is everyone going?" Even with a mouthful of apple, everyone somehow still managed to make out her words.

Because high school is an institution built to deprive its attenders of getting the nutrition they need for their growing bodies by making lunch periods only twenty minutes long – students get used to learning how to hear each other speak through garbled chewing noises.

"Close your mouth when you eat, Olette," said Namine Lewis, Roxas's younger sister. She has the same physical features as her brother. Baby blue eyes, pale skin, and fair hair. But she's much quieter, much less judgemental of others, and her Obsessive Complulsive Disorder is a difference between them as well. Namine can't stand things that aren't clean or in proper order. She needs everything to be and look perfect.

"Sorry, Nam," after swallowing, Olette replied with a sheepish smile.

"I'll be there, of course," Pence answered Olette's previous question before he shoved a piece of crappy school pizza in his face. Grease slid down the left side of his chin and he wiped it away with a rough, brown, paper napkin.

"Same," said Hayner.

Tucking her hair behind her ear, Namine added, "Me too," with a soft smile. Although the girl didn't seem like the type – Namine was a huge fan of The Dream Eaters and tried to never miss a show. While everyone else was bouncing around and screaming their heads off at their performances, Namine would simply sway to the music and smile sweetly through every single gig.

Olette grinned as she looked over at Roxas. "Hey, you should come with us this ti-"

"No."

"Give it up, Olette, Roxas ain't never gonna go see them. How many times do we have to have this damn conversation?" Hayner shook his head and downed his chocolate milk, lifting the carton up so he could get the last drops into his mouth.

Roxas sighed and focused on his spaghetti which was starting to have an aftertaste of soap. The plastic fork in his hand got tossed onto his tray in disgust. He decided he would much rather not have to look at the sorry excuse for food or listen to anything else about The Dream Eaters any longer. So he stood up to throw his food away.

The cafeteria was incredibly noisy. More so than usual because it was a Friday – and a Friday that The Dream Eaters were going to be playing at The Tavern. Whenever they had a show coming up, it was all anyone would talk about. The whole school was usually there. It was expected. Roxas hated how the band basically had everyone in the student body brainwashed. After the members graduated – he hoped the school's obsession with them would die down.

Yes, the band members of The Dream Eaters were all part of the senior class at Traverse High. In fact, the band had formed their freshman year when they all met. It had started as a fun thing for them to do in their garage to bond and share their love of music – but it just escalated more and more at a rapid speed and suddenly they were adored by everyone and making a career out of it.

Roxas assumed they just became a band for the popularity. To him they seemed like attention whores with flashy hair and wardrobes who wanted nothing more than to get people to sleep with them.

Especially Axel Woolfe.

Even before the Riku fiasco (Riku was The First Boyfriend) Roxas didn't like Axel (also known by fans as "The Wolf") one bit. There were so many stories floating around about the orgies with his groupies that Axel had taken part in, and that he'd even slept with all of his band members and broken all of their hearts. Axel was the lead singer and guitarist, and Roxas knew so many things about how the red-headed, tattoo-faced, eightteen year old had used people over and over. Used his fame to get whomever he wanted. The dirtbag.

That's why Roxas grimaced when he overheard a girl by the garbage can telling her friend how she would literally do anything to get into "The Wolf's" pants.

He wondered briefly why high schoolers were such disgusting animals before tossing out his hardly touched food. As far as he knew, the students all belonged in the garbage with that rubber pasta he had been trying to eat.

The sound of chairs being scraped along the tile floor, hungry mouths loudly chewing food, and chatter about entirely insignificant topics filled the room. The cafeteria was well-lit with lots of windows lining one side of the area. All of the tables were fairly close together to accommodate as many students as possible. Each table had approximately five to six dark blue, cheaply made chairs at it – but some of the kids pulled seats over and attempted to squish eight to a table. There was always a teacher in the corner of the caf' scouting out the place like a vulture – trying to spot someone doing something wrong. Every minute you could see someone getting scolded if you watched long enough. It was usually over stupid things like throwing a piece of food, or swearing.

When Roxas was back in his seat he was welcomed with the sight of Olette looking all giddy about something.

"OhmiGosh. Was it just me or did Axel Woolfe just looking over here?"

Hayner rolled his eyes. "No, babe. Why would he be looking at any of us? We're just a bunch of random juniors. Or maybe it's because he can feel _your_ eyes on _him_."

"Maybe he recognizes us always going to his shows?"

"Oh, yeah, because we would really stand out more than everyone else in the school!"

"You're such a buzzkill," she humphed.

Hayner smirked. "Maybe he's looking at Roxas and wondering who the hell he is and why he's never seen him at a performance before!"

"I wouldn't be surprised," the blonde shook his head at his best friend. "The guy's so full of himself."

"Or maybe he thinks you're cute," joked Hayner as he began to pile up all of his trash in his tray.

Olette snorted.

"Oh shut up," Roxas rolled his eyes. "Don't always assume that all the bisexual and/or gay guys in this school think I'm cute just because _I'm _gay. Axel isn't even bisexual. He's just a whore who sleeps with anything with a pulse. I bet he just skips the step of deciding if he is attracted to someone or not."

"It was just a joke, Roxas, don't get so uppity, man!" Hayner laughed as he stood up to go throw away his tray piled high with trash. His girlfriend handed him her stuff to toss out as well.

With a sly turn of his head, Roxas looked in the direction of where The Dream Eaters always sat. Immediately, the blonde's eyes were drawn to the bright color of crimson. Axel was sitting at an angle – only half his face visible to Roxas. The red-head was laughing at something one of his bandmates was saying, his head thrown back just slightly. A crowd of kids were just sitting around The Dream Eaters – staring at them all and hanging on their every word and movement as if the sky would start falling any second and the band would be the only ones to save the world.

With a speed that could have caused whiplash – Roxas looked away from The Dream Eaters and from The Wolf. They didn't even deserve a glare from him. Even a small dose of attention was something he wasn't willing to show them. Rox wanted to treat them as if they didn't exist. As if they were just another few kids in the school that he didn't know or care about. And he didn't.

He knew that The Twilight Tavern was one place he was _not _going to be when the clock striked nine.

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**Kind of a lot of character setup. Bit more of that in chapter two. **

**You are all lovely! :3 'TIL NEXT TIME!**

**xox Rose**


	2. Track 2

**Because of the amount of reviews and follows I got just for the first chapter, I decided to update asap for you lovelies. I usually don't get a lot of action until about the third chapter so I am VERY excited to be giving you a longer and more fulfilling chapter this time around. :D Thanks again for all the sweet reviews!**

**! Also, I thought I would inform you that this fic will have lyrics in it from songs that do indeed exist. I will always credit the songs at the end of the chapter. I just took the lyrics, it doesn't necessarily mean that the band is playing them exactly how the real songs are, for future reference to any descriptions of how they're playing that may confuse you. I will upload a playlist on my Tumblr of all the songs used in this fic around the time I finish it as a special bonus. **

**Once again I will point out that I start my second year of college this week, I'm spending time with my sister who is visiting from out of state, I have to work a lot, I'm hanging out with my best friends as much as possible before they move away to their college for several months, and I also have a convention that I am staffing at coming up and I have to fix up my cosplay and such, not to mention homework assignments - so I will be a very busy girl and it may be a bit longer before the next update. **

**Oh and one more thing - did anyone get the reference of Roxas and Axel's last names? I assume not because it's so obscure that not a lot of people would know about it. I'll tell you all about it in the author's note next chapter. Or look it up. Your choice. XD**

**Onward.**

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**Put It On Repeat**

**Track 2**

Twilight Tavern was a chaotic mess of noise and hyper-active teenagers. It always was when The Dream Eaters were playing a show. The amount of human bodies in the room probably caused alarm for a fire hazard, but no one who worked there really gave a shit. With every person who came in to watch The Dream Eaters perform, that was business that was being brought in for them. Sure, the kids could only buy Shirley Temples and Cherry Cokes but for three bucks a pop – it really added up. With every performance The Dream Eaters made, there was a whole lotta dough waiting for the employees of The Tavern.

This night held a particularly large crowd. Over seventy-five percent of Traverse High filled the floor in front of the small and only slightly elevated stage. When Axel peaked out from his hiding spot by the door to said stage he felt a little overwhelmed at the amount of people.

His hand raked nervously through his red, spikey locks. Axel Woolfe was a sight – even when he was nervous or under stress. The eighteen year old was just so mesmerizing... emerald green eyes, dark face tattoos in the shape of upside down teardrops that seemed to express his confidence, sun-kissed skin that was the perfect shade in between pale and tan, hair dyed to match the color of blood, and he stood at six feet even, with a lanky body that would slink from side to side in a sexy way when he walked. Axel was certainly blessed with a rare beauty about him.

He had performed a hundred times before, but every time a show drew close – he felt his stomach tie itself up in knots. There was always the worry hanging in the air around him that he would make a mistake, even a tiny one, that would embarrass his band. It never happened of course, but there was always the possibility and the possibility terrified Axel. You see, he was actually an incredibly self-conscious guy.

People expected so much of him. They all assumed that he was utter perfection and he feared that if he injured that reputation, then his band would suffer for it. He couldn't have that. The members were his best friends and it would kill him if he was ever the cause for any negativity toward The Dream Eaters.

Even though sometimes he didn't care at all what the fans actually thought about him personally. They had caused him too much stress in his life. Some of them were just plain crazy – groupies that would throw themselves at him and then lash out when he turned them away. Most of them would spread stories that they had been with him regardless of the truth. He had no way to control the rumors. Axel acknowledged in the beginning, when The Dream Eaters started to get fairly popular among his peers at school, that if they were to become well-liked, they would have to suffer through countless and usually personal tales about themselves – true or otherwise. But now that it had become his reality, sometimes he just couldn't stand it.

Once, one of his groupies even managed to drug him, strip him, and take pictures of him naked. Those photos did circulate around the school for sometime, too, to his horror. Yes, he could have just pressed charges but he just saw it to be easier for him if he just left it all alone to eventually blow over. Which it did.

Musicians are supposed to love their fans, and he was well aware of that, but it was just hard for him. They didn't seem to be specifically attached to The Dream Eaters's music emotionally – most of them just seemed to like it because it had become popular, and because of how good-looking he and his other band members were. Which wasn't what he wanted.

And every time Axel had attempted to talk to a fan – it was usually a disaster. They seemed to only want him for his fame or his looks. Not one wanted to get to know him for his interests, personality, or life experiences – for who he was. This made his social life uncomfortable. The only time he felt he could truly be himself was around Demyx, Marluxia, and Larxene – his band.

Demyx Sparrow was the bassist, and Axel's best friend since kindergarten. He was a total goofball. Sandy blonde hair styled into a fashion statement of a mullet, always wearing a cheeky smile, a soft tan, and eyes the color of a clear lake – the eightteen year old made a real sight for sore eyes. But his real charm was his personality. Attention wasn't something that Demyx could hold onto for two seconds unless he was performing, but when it came to his friends needing to talk – he was an excellent listener. Sometimes he was very shy and cowardly, other times he'd be outgoing and a complete clown who was up for anything. Not to mention, the bassist was also a vegan, and did a lot of volunteer work for the environment.

The two were made to be friends. They had decided to start a band with their other friends when they were just freshmen. Demyx had a large, empty garage that they knew they could put to good use. Starting a band had been a dream of Demyx's since he was in sixth grade where he discovered his love and passion for music. Axel assisted in making that dream come true when they were fourteen, with the help of Marluxia and Larxene, too.

Marluxia Rhodes met Axel and Demyx in eighth grade when he moved into the district, but he didn't actually become friends with them until freshman year. He was a pretty boy. His hair was dyed a soft pink – the color of rose – he was into the Glam Rock look. His skin an almost ivory color that was flawless as a model's. You could see the faintest bit of eyeliner around his vibrantly tinted eyes, but it looked totally normal on him. He was tall and well-built with a deep, baratone voice – but his hands were dainty and quick which made him an excellent keyboardist for The Dream Eaters.

Lastly, there was Larxene Golding. The only actual female in the band. She played drums for The Dream Eaters and she was damn great at it. The teenage girl had bleached blonde hair that she slicked back with tons of gel, and she never went out in public without caking on the eyeliner. She was curvy – a great body – but she hid it well underneath her two-sizes-too-big leather jackets.

It was Larxene who grasped the back of Axel's maroon and gray hoodie to drag him through the door he was creeping beside. "We're on in five!" She shouted.

"I know, I know," the red-head sighed in aggravation and shut the door behind him, causing the room he had stepped in to become almost completely black besides the light coming from the beyond the stage. Larxene dashed over to Demyx who was standing a couple feet away. She asked him, "Where's Marly?"

"Well..." A nervous chuckle. "He's some-"

"Right here," the keyboardist declared as he bust in, almost sending Axel flying across the room with the impact of the door. "I apologize."

"Save your apologies. You're lucky your ass was here just in time! Anyway, they set all our equipment up. We're good to go as soon as they give us the okay." Looking up at the small light above their heads, she expected it to flash as if on cue – but it didn't. The flash of the light would mean that The Tavern was all ready for them to start their show.

The band had played at Twilight countless times, so they were used to the game plan. All they had to do was wait.

"Don't worry Ax, the show will go great as always!" Trying to calm Axel's nerves, his best friend spoke up. He knew about the lead's fears of messing something up or making a minor mistake. But Demyx knew that Axel always did an amazing job and his worries were for nothing.

"I know, Dem."

A bright light blinked twice and caught the attention of all the teens. They were on.

Fans went wild when they saw The Dream Eaters finally make their way onto the stage. Girls were shrieking like it was the most exciting moments of their lives, boys were hooting and catcalling, and everyone – regardless of their gender – was jumping and clapping and wiggling around like little, energetic sardines in a can.

Larxene plopped in front of her drums, Marluxia – his keyboard, and Demyx and Axel scooped up their bass and electric guitars. As 'The Wolf' leaned towards the microphone you could hear the audience finally start to quiet down in their anticipation of his alluring voice that they craved so badly to hear.

"Yo. How is everyone doin'?"

The response was a mixed reply of screeching, clapping, and so many different words that they all joined together as one inaudible one.

"Excellent. But I guess you want to hear some music or something..."

More screams, some laughter, some more slurred words.

And then The Dream Eaters finally started to play.

The vibe of the crowd was feel-good as always. Hundreds of people seemed to morph into one – one loud, pumped, person full of passion and full of love for great music.

Drums, bass, keyboard, guitar, and vocals all came together along with a group of attractive, young, fresh faces to sum up to a lovely experience of the senses for everyone present at The Tavern. Axel's voice drifted and seemed to bounce off the walls as he pronounced every word clearly while still strumming away, playing the correct chords on his guitar at the right time. Demyx's bass added the perfect amount of depth to the song, while Larxene's drumming and Marluxia's keyboarding gave the tune it's own unique combination of sound.

Only The Dream Eaters could sound like The Dream Eaters. And although a lot of people did like them because they were popular, they were popular for a reason. The band was actually amazing – especially for all of their ages. One of a kind.

"_In this world there's real and make believe_," the lead sang. "_And this seems real to me_."

Some people in the audience would sing along – fans who bought Dream Eaters CDs off the band's official website. Since the members split the profit by four, they didn't make much – but it amazed them how many people wanted to own CDs to play at home as well as shirts, posters, and coffee mugs with their faces on them.

_You love me but you don't know who I am_...

_I'm torn between this life I lead and where I stand._

_And you love me but you don't know who I am._

_So let me go._

_Just let me go._

The red-head would get all worked up time after time before every gig, but when it came down to the actual playing – he'd get so into what he was doing that it didn't matter and the nerves would fade. Music was second nature to him. He knew his band's set list by heart – every song – and he would just get so in the zone as he sang and strummed his guitar.

By the time the song was over, Axel registered there was a crowd screaming and jumping and begging for more. A song was like a time machine for him, one minute he was starting to play, and then he wouldn't be.

The rest of the songs went by just as quickly, and everyone in Twilight Tavern felt like the show had ended way too soon. There were immediately calls for an encore. The pit was filled with pleading and clapping.

As if The Dream Eaters never did encores.

"Alright, one more..." Axel grinned into the mic, making his female fans swoon. This was not unexpected. It was routine of the band to perform one final song at the crowd's request – which was every gig.

"_Did I drive you away...?_" He began to sing a crowd favorite, one of The Dream Eaters most mellow and slow songs. People immediately pulled out their cell phones and lighters, waving them slowly together in unison. "_I know what you'll say. You'll say,_"

The audience joined in loudly, "_Oh, sing one we know!_"

And for the next two and a half minutes, the band played their final song for the night. A song that they had played a million times before, just like all their others – but every gig was a different experience for them. Filled with endorphins from performing, the last song was always the best. A burst of energy soared through them that night and there was nothing that could define exactly what it was that brought the friends to their edge of flawless collaboration but they had never played so well before that one particular moment.

It could be seen by some as fate or destiny, as a curse, as luck or chance, or a simple place-and-time coincidence. Sometimes it is hard to pinpoint how one event can lead to another can lead to another. Cause and Effect is all too straightforward, and nothing is so straightforward in life. One cause leads to another leads to another leads to an effect leads to another cause leads to another effect and so forth. It's a chain that never breaks or comes full circle.

Life is just one of those things that can't be broken down and explained. No matter how many people think they've got something figured out – truth is, they don't. Things take place, and that is the only fact. There could be a force like destiny or maybe it's not so complicated... maybe something just happened, no reason needed, and that's simply the way it is.

For example, one could argue that the fact that there was a talent seeker in the crowd was the beginning of a chain of life-changing events for several people.

But another could argue that the chain of events started when The Dream Eaters decided to become a band, or when The Twilight Tavern opened up years and years ago, or when Axel Woolfe was conceived, or when the talent agency that agent in the crowd worked for came to be – the list goes on. There is never a definite starting moment for this chain, because there isn't one. Things just happen.

The talent seeker, called Rude, smiled to himself as he heard the band play so wonderfully and the crowd's reaction was full of pure entertainment. Someone had tipped him to The Dream Eaters and he could see why. They had all any band could ever want in the bag and they didn't even know it.

_Yeah, I saw sparks..._

_I saw sparks._

Beside him, a petite blonde girl wearing all white bumped into him on accident. She looked up with big, blue eyes and apologized politely. It was Namine, at the gig as she said at school she would be. Standing next to her was of course Pence, Hayner, and Olette.

Rude just gave her a gentle smile and went on to studying the band some more behind his dark shades. He must have looked funny in the crowd of mostly teenagers. He was in his thirties with deep brown skin and not a strand of hair on his head. What made him look different was the perfectly tailored business suit he wore, along with the fact that he was just standing perfectly still, his hands clasped in front of him.

The agent watched in approval as the final song came to an end, and Axel closed out with a few words. The show was a hit, the crowd was going wild as the band left the stage, and Rude had definitely made his decision.

Axel was panting softly as he made his way backstage. His friends grabbed him and pulled him into a group hug all at once as they usually did after a show, and he laughed breathlessly. "Guys," he said. "That was really good tonight."

"Hell no, motherfucker. That shit wasn't good. It was _perfect_," the drummer stated with confidence.

"See, Ax, I told you that you didn't need to worry!" Demyx was all bubbly. He always felt wonderful after performing. He wanted to do it all the time, every day, for the rest of his life.

"Is it just me? Or did we have a rather large crowd tonight?" Marluxia asked as he was the first to pull away from the hug, but he kept his arm haphazardly around Larxene's shoulders for an extra minute.

"Yeah it did seem to be a bit bigger..." agreed Demyx. "Which is good! That means we're getting more fans, right?"

"Hopefully not any new crazy ones..." Axel moaned just as a couple of Twilight Tavern employees stepped into the backstage area.

"Great job as usual, guys," one of them said. "We'll get your stuff in your van so just sit tight for a minute." They were happy to act like roadies for The Dream Eaters.

"Oh," said the other one. "Someone was talking to our boss about meeting you guys..."

"A fan?" Demyx questioned.

"No, I don't think so..." and that was all the employee said before taking after his partner up the stairs to gather up the musical equipment.

It didn't occur to them who would want to meet with them, but before they could discuss it there was a short knock on the backstage door just as it opened – revealing Rude.

"Hello Dream Eaters. Name's Rude. I work for Open Door Talent Agency. I'm sure you've heard of it. I just wanted to talk to you all about something... got a better lit place we can do it?"

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**More character introductions. Teehee. I got a lot of good responses about them in the first chapter though which surprised me. :)**

**Songs Used:**

_**Let Me Go - Three Doors Down**_

_**Sparks - Coldplay**_

**Thanks for reading my loves!**

**xox Rose Riku**


	3. Track 3

**I know. You're all surprised to see this update, aren't you? My life got crazy there for a minute. Working almost full time, going to school, family visiting again, unexpected conventions, always out doing things. Not to mention Homestuck took over my soul, and then Once Upon a Time, and I kind of had AkuRoku on the back burner (shame on me!) but I really liked the plans I had for this story, so it's back! (Wow a lot has happened since August) People were asking me about it and I realized I just couldn't let this one go. :)**

**I hope you enjoy and can forgive me for the long wait. **

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**Put It On Repeat**

**Track 3**

"Have you guys heard yet?!" Olette came busting into Roxas's room like she owned the place, jumping the crap out of the three boys in there who were just innocently minding their own business playing some video games on the hardwood floor.

The room was covered in posters – about fifty percent video games and fifty percent bands. There was a twin size bed off in the far left corner of the room right near the only window that was poorly made and only contained one flat pillow and a thin, tan blanket with some simple white sheets underneath. On the opposite side of the room was Roxas's desk which held his PC. A generic black office chair sat empty in front of the desk. That's where the brunette girl decided to fill as she shared the news.

"Where's Namine?" she wondered aloud. "She needs to be in here to hear this!"

"Hear what?" Hayner asked, button smashing his way to victory over Pence.

Roxas answered, "She's in her room."

"I'll go get her real quick!" Chirping, Olette dashed out of the room as fast as she had come in.

"Wonder what she's all excited about," said Pence as he tossed Hayner a glare over his gaming loss before handing the controller over to Roxas, who accepted it happily.

It was Sunday. The gang always hung out with each other on Sundays. It helped delay the pain of school coming the next day. They usually got together at Roxas's because his parents were the most chill and not to mention two out of the group _lived_ there, thus, there they all were. Roxas, Namine, Olette, Pence, and Hayner. Doing their thang.

Crashing back into the room without warning came Olette, Namine in tow around her arm. The blonde girl held a white sketchbook in her left arm, resting on the crook of her elbow as she cradled it – her other arm in captivity by a brunette who was very excited about something.

"Okay. Guys. Pause your game for a sec," she commanded.

Hayner groaned and turned towards her slightly. "What? What is it that you just _can't wait _to tell us?"

Roxas paused the game and looked up at the two girls, his curiosity only slightly peaked.

"The Dream Eaters... got... _signed_!" A heavy breath escaped her light pink lips as if she was holding it for a long time.

Pence perked up and was the first to speak. "Oh wow, that's awesome! Good for them!"

Namine smiled a big smile.

"Whoa! Siq! Are they going national or?" Hayner immediately looked less annoyed.

Roxas looked more so. His curiosity vanished completely and he unpaused the game, beginning to attack Hayner's character who clearly was not being controlled.

"Hey, man! That's not cool!" Rushing to save his character's life, Hayner jumped back to the game.

"They may be. None of us know yet. Apparently not they're not saying much, or it's undecided or something. But they're signed! Guess who by?"

Namine's baby blue eyes lit up. "It's Open Door, isn't it?"

"That's exactly who it is," answered Olette.

"Oh my _God_, they're gonna become _huge_!" Even while button mashing and keeping focused on the screen, the camo-clad teen was still deep in the conversation.

Roxas just scowled. He simply didn't _care _for the fact that they had gotten signed by one of the biggest known music companies in the country. But that just meant that he would have to hear about them even more than he already did.

How unfair was it that attention whores like The Dream Eaters could get such a great lot in life at such a young age? Roxas didn't understand. He shook his head to himself, lost in his own disgruntled thoughts.

"No one knows much about the details of their signing. I wonder if they're gonna go on a big tour, or release a nation-sold album, or what!" Olette twirled a strand of her hair mindlessly around her pointer finger. "It's just so exciting. A band we have known from the very beginning – making it big time! It's almost magical. I'm so happy for them."

"Happy for them?" Roxas questioned. "You don't even know them."

"They are our peers at school, Roxas. Don't be so hateful."

He sighed. He didn't want to argue. He poured all of his being into kicking Hayner's character's ass – which lead to a successful victory.

"You suck, Rox," Hayner hissed as he passed the controller back to Pence. "No one can beat you at this."

"Nope," the blonde agreed.

And just like that they dropped the subject of The Dream Eaters and went on with the rest of their day. Roxas knew he wouldn't be free of hearing about them once school rolled around, though. If they were getting signed by Open Door it was going to be worse than ever. He hoped he could just ignore it all.

And that's what he _tried _to do when the time came for him to march into the doors to Traverse High with his sister in tow the next morning.

Tried and failed.

"Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh, Namine!" Olette came dashing to her friend, ignoring Roxas's presence, and basically colliding with her. "Guess what guess what?!"

"What?" The blonde teen just blinked up at her friend, unshaken by the greeting.

"The Dream Eaters are having a celebratory show. It's where they're going to _officially _announce their record deal and give us more information on it! We have to be there!"

Now Roxas understood why Olette had decided to just run straight for Namine.

Hayner and Pence slowly wandered up. "She's been bouncing off the walls about this news literally all freaking morning," Hayner said.

"Don't act like you're not excited, _dear_," she bit with a smile to her boyfriend.

"How did you even hear about this?" Namine asked her friend. The blonde girls eyes were lit with excitement. This would be The Dream Eater show of a lifetime and years from now when they were well known... she could say she was there.

"Well," the brunette teen clapped her hands together and looked around at her friends. "Yuna and Rikku overheard The Dream Eaters talking while they were at their lockers."

Namine squealed and grabbed Olette's hands, jumping around in a circle with her while the boys blinked at them. Roxas's sister was very out of character.

Roxas just shook his head and let out a deflated sigh to himself. "Will it never end?" He shrugged off his jacket and tucked it under his arm. The cafeteria was much too warm for him.

"So when is this show supposed to be?" Pence questioned.

Olette grinned at her dark haired friend. "Two Saturdays from now," she answered. "I can hardly wait."

"For now can we please just go sit down? I wanna get some homework done before class," whined Roxas. He was unbelievably sick of these conversations about the band. He couldn't join in like everyone else. He felt so out of the loop. He felt his friends and him were disconnecting because of it.

They agreed to the blonde's request, though, and wandered into the crowds of students to find an empty table to claim for their own. But to his dismay, the second he pulled out his anatomy assignment – the four he was seated with just went back to chattering about Axel, Demyx, Marluxia, and Larxene and where their lives would be headed and how they could say "I knew them when..."

He fidgeted and smoothed his loose leaf paper out on the cold, solid surface of the table. It was going to be a long day. "What can I do to get you guys to just stop _constantly _talking about The Dream Eaters?" A huff escaped his exasperated lips.

Roxas's three friends and sister abruptly stopped talking, then exchanged looks amongst each other, eyebrows furrowing as if they were speaking in some kind of secret silent language with one another.

Hayner, Olette, Pence, and Namine looked directly at their blonde companion with evil smiles nestled on their determined faces.

Roxas gulped, pushing the paper under his hands just slightly off to the side as he braced himself for what they had to say.

"Go to the show," all four of them chimed in unison.

"No," he refused. "Nope. Not happening. No, no, no, no, _no_."

"Rox_a_s," Namine whined. She never whined. "Just be a sport this one time. This one exception. And I promise. None of us will ever discuss The Dream Eaters in front of you ever again. Not before the show, and not after. You just have to attend. It'll just be one hour of your life." Her voice was sweet and pleading. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled warmly at him, casting away the evil grin that was once there.

Surprisingly enough, Roxas Lewis didn't deny her request immediately again. He did something he had never done before when it came to The Dream Eaters – he weighed the pros and cons of seeing them perform. He was _considering _it.

Blue eyes shifted up, and his mouth twisted into a smirk of concentration as he thought about this decision. He despised The Dream Eaters... they made him think of his first boyfriend. Of Riku. How Riku had chosen a band over _him_. There was a nagging thought in the back of his mind that wondered if Riku had a schoolboy crush on The Wolf back then. A nagging thought that made Rox hold a grudge against Axel since what felt like the dawn of time. A grudge he still wasn't ready to let go of. He told himself he wouldn't allow them any attention from him. Negative or positive. He swore once that he wouldn't attend _one_ show. They didn't deserve it.

But the high school junior also couldn't pass up the idea of his friends never mentioning the band again. Every time they did, it made him feel like they'd choose a Dream Eater concert over him. Just like Riku did. He wouldn't be able to handle pain like that again. Especially not a second time around.

"I'll do it," Roxas decided, his face twitching at what he realized he was committing to. "If you guys promise to never, ever discuss them in front of me again, then I will go to this _one _show."

* * *

**And now the fun begins. **

**xox Rose Riku**


End file.
